Coming Up— The No. 2-seeded UCLA men's volleyball team (24-5) will take on No. 3-seed Long Beach State (24-6) in an MPSF Semifinal match on Thursday, Apr. 21 in Provo, Utah at 5 p.m. (MT). BYU (24-3) will meet No. 5-seed UCSB (20-9) in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m. (MT). The Championship match is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. (MT). NCAA selections will be announced at 10 am PT on Apr. 24 on ncaa.com.
Live Coverage — Fans can follow matches on UCLA's live Twitter feed @UCLAMVB.
*****Thursday, April 21 at 5 p.m. MDT: UCLA vs. Long Beach Streaming Video: BYUtv.org....Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=131117.......Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. MDT: UC Santa Barbara vs. BYU...Streaming Video: BYUtv.org...TV: BYUtv...Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=131116
****Championship Match -- Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. MDT: If BYU advances it will be on BYUtv, otherwise streamed on BYUtv.org
In The Rankings — The Bruins are No. 3 in the AVCA national rankings. UCLA was in the top spot earlier this season for weeks 2,3 and 4 but fell following a Feb. 5 loss at Hawaii and then again in week 12, but lost a pair of matches to BYU. It was the first time the Bruins had held the top spot since being ranked first in the week 4 and 5 AVCA polls during the 2014 season, after beginning that year by winning nine of the first 10 matches.
Five Bruins Earns MPSF Honors — Jake Arnitz and Micah Ma'a earned first-team All-MPSF honors in a vote of the league coaches. Mitch Stahl was selected to the second-team, while Hagen Smith and JT Hatch received honorable mention. Ma'a was also chosen to the MPSF All-Freshman squad.
Recent MPSF Playoff History — 2016 - #2 UCLA d. Hawai'i 3-1 in quarterfinals; 2015 - #8 UCLA lost at UC Irvine in quarterfinals 0-3; 2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at #4 UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. #5 Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at #1 BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #4 UC Irvine 1-3; 2011 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #1 USC 1-3; 2010 -- #7 UCLA lost at #2 BYU in quarterfinals 1-3; 2009 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #1 UC Irvine 1-3. The Bruins last won the MPSF Tournament in 2006 and then went on to claim their 19th NCAA Championship. The last time UCLA was as high as the number two seed in the MPSF was in 2005. UCLA won MPSF tournament titles in 2006,2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993.
Scouting the Opponents — Vs. Long Beach--The Bruins swept the season series from the 49ers in MPSF play. On Jan. 27 in Pauley, Micah Ma'a floated a serve to an opening in the 49'ers defense to terminate the match with an ace (23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-13). He finished with a then career-high 13 kills, including several crucial points, on the night. Jake Arnitz blasted 17 kills at a .429 hitting percentage and added a career-best 13 digs. Mitch Stahl finished with eight kills and five block assists. JT Hatch had nine kills, a pair of aces and a career-best 12 digs. Hagen Smith set 25 balls and added 11 digs, a career-high nine kills and a block solo. The Bruins hit .242 for the match to .219 for Long Beach and UCLA won the battle of the block 8.5 to 5.5. On Mar. 26 at Long Beach, UCLA won in three sets (25-22,25-22,25-22). Arnitz led the way for UCLA with 16 kills while hitting .400. Hatch added 10 kills (.348) and Eric Sprague recorded a season-high eight kills (.800). Smith totaled eight digs, three blocks, an ace and 19 set assists. Davis Gillett had 11 digs. The Bruins out hit the 49ers .323 to .250 on the night.
Vs. UCSB--The Bruins defeated UCSB twice this season in MPSF action. On Mar. 4, the Bruins won at Santa Barbara 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-23). Arnitz led UCLA with 12 kills (.364). UCLA had a 7-6 advantage in aces, a 9.5-6.0 edge in total blocks and also in hitting percentage .247 to .083. On Mar. 2 in the Wooden Center, UCLA rallied after dropping set one to defeat UCSB (21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18). Arnitz (.385) led three Bruins in double-digit kills. Hatch (.207) and Ma'a (.550) each recorded 12 kills. UCLA hit .328 to .186 for the Gauchos.
Vs. BYU--UCLA lost both meetings with BYU this season. Ma'a joined Hatch in double digit kills with 10 (.529) and added three aces to go with a career best 14 digs and 24 set assists in the 1-3 loss to BYU (25-20, 20-25,18-25, 23-25) on Apr.2 Martin had five kills (.400) and three blocks. Stahl finished with seven kills (.364) and four blocks. Smith had 27 set assists, eight digs and a couple of blocks. BYU hit .301 for the contest, just the fourth time an opponent has surpassed the .300 level vs. the Bruins this season. UCLA hit. .266.
The previous night, UCLA totaled its second-lowest hitting percentage on the season, at .161, in the 1-3 loss to BYU on Apr. 1, (17-25, 25-19, 25-27, 13-25) including a -.200 mark in the fourth set. BYU managed to hit .337. BYU also recorded the highest total blocks of any opponent this season with 16.0. Arnitz, who had seven digs, led the Bruins with 11 kills (.238). Martin finished with seven kills (.500) and three block assists. Hatch, who had two aces, and Ma'a, who finished with three aces, rang up nine kills each.
Bruins By the Numbers - Micah Ma'a has at least one ace in 13 of the last 14 matches; and at least one ace in 25 of the 29 matches to date; he has seven matches with more than a pair of aces ... Davis Gillett has double digit digs in six of the last 11 matches and 23 matches this season with five or more digs ... JT Hatch has at least one ace in 12 of the last 13 matches and 10 matches with multiple aces ... Jake Arnitz has double digit kills in 15 of the last 17 (10 of last 11) matches he has played in ... Oliver Martin has hit over .500 in 10 matches this season ... Hagen Smith has six matches with nine or more digs and 12 matches with at least five kills ... 10 of the last 16 Bruin opponents have hit below the .200 mark ... Ma'a had an MPSF high 7 aces in match versus CSUN on Jan. 29 ... His triple-double v. BYU (4/2) was the first by an MPSF player since Jonah Seif of UCSB on Feb. 6, 2014...The last time UCLA won more than 24 matches was when it captured 26 in 2006 on the way to an NCAA title...The last time it lost as few as 5 matches in a season was 2000 (29-5)...The Bruins' 10-0 start this year was their best since the 1998 squad earned wins in the first 16 matches of that season. UCLA, under the direction of coach Al Scates, owns the only three unbeaten seasons in the history of the men's game (1984:38-0, 1982: 29-0, 1979: 30-0).
Recapping — The Bruins finished the regular season by winning 10 of their last 12 matches. The positive momentum continued in the MPSF Quarterfinal win over Hawai'i last Saturday. UCLA out aced the visitors 10 to 4 and won the blocking battle 11.0 to 2.0. Jake Arnitz led UCLA with 16 kills (.483) and had two aces. Mitch Stahl topped the Bruin blockers with six block assists, added two aces and hit .714 on seven swings. Oliver Martin had seven kills (.455) and five blocks. Micah Ma'a recorded a pair of aces to tie for the school single-season record (56 ). Hagen Smith tallied five kills, nine digs, 22 set assists, an ace and three blocks. JT Hatch had eight kills and a couple of aces. Davis Gillett came up with four digs. .
NCAA Nat'l. Rankings - Mitch Stahl 5th in blocks (1.26/set); Micah Ma'a 4th in aces (0.51/s); JT Hatch 11th in aces (0.42); UCLA team 3rd Aces (1.86/s), 5th Blocks (2.58/s); 5th in Kills/s (13.12); 5th in set assists (12.40); 6th in hit % (.311).
All-Time Bruin Lists— Micah Ma'a is tied for first on school rally scoring era list for most aces in a season (56) with Gonzalo Quiroga ('14) and Adam Naeve ('01) (the all-time season record is 63 by Mark Williams in 2000) ...Mitch Stahl is 9th on career block assist list (238)-No. 8 is Weston Dunlap, 2009-12 (248)...Stahl is ninth in career total blocks (254), No. 8 is Dunlap (267)...Stahl is 10th on single season block assists list (106), 9th is Thomas Amberg, 2009 with 116....Stahl is tied with Jamie Diefenbach, 2008 for No. 9 on school single-season total block list (116), No. 8 in Amberg with 118 in 2009, Diefenbach had 123 in 2007 to place No. 7...Stahl is No. 5 on the career ace list with 84, Paul Johnson (2002-05) is No. 4 with 90.
Coach Speraw: Year Four at UCLA — John Speraw (UCLA '95), who is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater, has captured three NCAA titles as a head coach (2012, 2009, 2007 at UCI), three as an assistant coach (1996, 1998, 2000 at UCLA) and two as a player (1993, 1995 at UCLA). Also the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, Speraw led that squad to the 2015 FIVB World Cup and automatic qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games. Speraw came back to UCLA after 10 seasons at UC Irvine where he led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships, and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. In winning that 2007 title, Speraw became the only individual to produce a championship as a head coach, assistant coach and player in collegiate men's volleyball history. On Mar. 25, 2013, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. In the summer of 2014, he guided the U.S. team to a win over top-ranked Brazil in the FIVB World League gold-medal match. In the summer of 2012, he had served as an assistant coach for the National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw won the National Coach of the Year award in 2007.
Live Coverage — Fans can follow matches on UCLA's live Twitter feed @UCLAMVB.
*****Thursday, April 21 at 5 p.m. MDT: UCLA vs. Long Beach Streaming Video: BYUtv.org....Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=131117.......Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. MDT: UC Santa Barbara vs. BYU...Streaming Video: BYUtv.org...TV: BYUtv...Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=131116
****Championship Match -- Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. MDT: If BYU advances it will be on BYUtv, otherwise streamed on BYUtv.org
In The Rankings — The Bruins are No. 3 in the AVCA national rankings. UCLA was in the top spot earlier this season for weeks 2,3 and 4 but fell following a Feb. 5 loss at Hawaii and then again in week 12, but lost a pair of matches to BYU. It was the first time the Bruins had held the top spot since being ranked first in the week 4 and 5 AVCA polls during the 2014 season, after beginning that year by winning nine of the first 10 matches.
Five Bruins Earns MPSF Honors — Jake Arnitz and Micah Ma'a earned first-team All-MPSF honors in a vote of the league coaches. Mitch Stahl was selected to the second-team, while Hagen Smith and JT Hatch received honorable mention. Ma'a was also chosen to the MPSF All-Freshman squad.
Recent MPSF Playoff History — 2016 - #2 UCLA d. Hawai'i 3-1 in quarterfinals; 2015 - #8 UCLA lost at UC Irvine in quarterfinals 0-3; 2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at #4 UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. #5 Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at #1 BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #4 UC Irvine 1-3; 2011 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #1 USC 1-3; 2010 -- #7 UCLA lost at #2 BYU in quarterfinals 1-3; 2009 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #1 UC Irvine 1-3. The Bruins last won the MPSF Tournament in 2006 and then went on to claim their 19th NCAA Championship. The last time UCLA was as high as the number two seed in the MPSF was in 2005. UCLA won MPSF tournament titles in 2006,2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993.
Scouting the Opponents — Vs. Long Beach--The Bruins swept the season series from the 49ers in MPSF play. On Jan. 27 in Pauley, Micah Ma'a floated a serve to an opening in the 49'ers defense to terminate the match with an ace (23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-13). He finished with a then career-high 13 kills, including several crucial points, on the night. Jake Arnitz blasted 17 kills at a .429 hitting percentage and added a career-best 13 digs. Mitch Stahl finished with eight kills and five block assists. JT Hatch had nine kills, a pair of aces and a career-best 12 digs. Hagen Smith set 25 balls and added 11 digs, a career-high nine kills and a block solo. The Bruins hit .242 for the match to .219 for Long Beach and UCLA won the battle of the block 8.5 to 5.5. On Mar. 26 at Long Beach, UCLA won in three sets (25-22,25-22,25-22). Arnitz led the way for UCLA with 16 kills while hitting .400. Hatch added 10 kills (.348) and Eric Sprague recorded a season-high eight kills (.800). Smith totaled eight digs, three blocks, an ace and 19 set assists. Davis Gillett had 11 digs. The Bruins out hit the 49ers .323 to .250 on the night.
Vs. UCSB--The Bruins defeated UCSB twice this season in MPSF action. On Mar. 4, the Bruins won at Santa Barbara 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-23). Arnitz led UCLA with 12 kills (.364). UCLA had a 7-6 advantage in aces, a 9.5-6.0 edge in total blocks and also in hitting percentage .247 to .083. On Mar. 2 in the Wooden Center, UCLA rallied after dropping set one to defeat UCSB (21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18). Arnitz (.385) led three Bruins in double-digit kills. Hatch (.207) and Ma'a (.550) each recorded 12 kills. UCLA hit .328 to .186 for the Gauchos.
Vs. BYU--UCLA lost both meetings with BYU this season. Ma'a joined Hatch in double digit kills with 10 (.529) and added three aces to go with a career best 14 digs and 24 set assists in the 1-3 loss to BYU (25-20, 20-25,18-25, 23-25) on Apr.2 Martin had five kills (.400) and three blocks. Stahl finished with seven kills (.364) and four blocks. Smith had 27 set assists, eight digs and a couple of blocks. BYU hit .301 for the contest, just the fourth time an opponent has surpassed the .300 level vs. the Bruins this season. UCLA hit. .266.
The previous night, UCLA totaled its second-lowest hitting percentage on the season, at .161, in the 1-3 loss to BYU on Apr. 1, (17-25, 25-19, 25-27, 13-25) including a -.200 mark in the fourth set. BYU managed to hit .337. BYU also recorded the highest total blocks of any opponent this season with 16.0. Arnitz, who had seven digs, led the Bruins with 11 kills (.238). Martin finished with seven kills (.500) and three block assists. Hatch, who had two aces, and Ma'a, who finished with three aces, rang up nine kills each.
Bruins By the Numbers - Micah Ma'a has at least one ace in 13 of the last 14 matches; and at least one ace in 25 of the 29 matches to date; he has seven matches with more than a pair of aces ... Davis Gillett has double digit digs in six of the last 11 matches and 23 matches this season with five or more digs ... JT Hatch has at least one ace in 12 of the last 13 matches and 10 matches with multiple aces ... Jake Arnitz has double digit kills in 15 of the last 17 (10 of last 11) matches he has played in ... Oliver Martin has hit over .500 in 10 matches this season ... Hagen Smith has six matches with nine or more digs and 12 matches with at least five kills ... 10 of the last 16 Bruin opponents have hit below the .200 mark ... Ma'a had an MPSF high 7 aces in match versus CSUN on Jan. 29 ... His triple-double v. BYU (4/2) was the first by an MPSF player since Jonah Seif of UCSB on Feb. 6, 2014...The last time UCLA won more than 24 matches was when it captured 26 in 2006 on the way to an NCAA title...The last time it lost as few as 5 matches in a season was 2000 (29-5)...The Bruins' 10-0 start this year was their best since the 1998 squad earned wins in the first 16 matches of that season. UCLA, under the direction of coach Al Scates, owns the only three unbeaten seasons in the history of the men's game (1984:38-0, 1982: 29-0, 1979: 30-0).
Recapping — The Bruins finished the regular season by winning 10 of their last 12 matches. The positive momentum continued in the MPSF Quarterfinal win over Hawai'i last Saturday. UCLA out aced the visitors 10 to 4 and won the blocking battle 11.0 to 2.0. Jake Arnitz led UCLA with 16 kills (.483) and had two aces. Mitch Stahl topped the Bruin blockers with six block assists, added two aces and hit .714 on seven swings. Oliver Martin had seven kills (.455) and five blocks. Micah Ma'a recorded a pair of aces to tie for the school single-season record (56 ). Hagen Smith tallied five kills, nine digs, 22 set assists, an ace and three blocks. JT Hatch had eight kills and a couple of aces. Davis Gillett came up with four digs. .
NCAA Nat'l. Rankings - Mitch Stahl 5th in blocks (1.26/set); Micah Ma'a 4th in aces (0.51/s); JT Hatch 11th in aces (0.42); UCLA team 3rd Aces (1.86/s), 5th Blocks (2.58/s); 5th in Kills/s (13.12); 5th in set assists (12.40); 6th in hit % (.311).
All-Time Bruin Lists— Micah Ma'a is tied for first on school rally scoring era list for most aces in a season (56) with Gonzalo Quiroga ('14) and Adam Naeve ('01) (the all-time season record is 63 by Mark Williams in 2000) ...Mitch Stahl is 9th on career block assist list (238)-No. 8 is Weston Dunlap, 2009-12 (248)...Stahl is ninth in career total blocks (254), No. 8 is Dunlap (267)...Stahl is 10th on single season block assists list (106), 9th is Thomas Amberg, 2009 with 116....Stahl is tied with Jamie Diefenbach, 2008 for No. 9 on school single-season total block list (116), No. 8 in Amberg with 118 in 2009, Diefenbach had 123 in 2007 to place No. 7...Stahl is No. 5 on the career ace list with 84, Paul Johnson (2002-05) is No. 4 with 90.
Coach Speraw: Year Four at UCLA — John Speraw (UCLA '95), who is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater, has captured three NCAA titles as a head coach (2012, 2009, 2007 at UCI), three as an assistant coach (1996, 1998, 2000 at UCLA) and two as a player (1993, 1995 at UCLA). Also the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, Speraw led that squad to the 2015 FIVB World Cup and automatic qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games. Speraw came back to UCLA after 10 seasons at UC Irvine where he led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships, and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. In winning that 2007 title, Speraw became the only individual to produce a championship as a head coach, assistant coach and player in collegiate men's volleyball history. On Mar. 25, 2013, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. In the summer of 2014, he guided the U.S. team to a win over top-ranked Brazil in the FIVB World League gold-medal match. In the summer of 2012, he had served as an assistant coach for the National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw won the National Coach of the Year award in 2007.